It had been four hundred years since God inspired a prophet to write the last book of the Old Testament. Hundreds of prophecies foretold of a king or Messiah who would come to save people and form a new covenant with them. Immanuel, God with us, would be born of a virgin in Bethlehem, the city of David. Not Herod, not the Pharisees, not the scribes, not the Romans could thwart the plan of God to deliver His people.
Joy is a state of mind and an orientation of the heart. It is a settled state of contentment, confidence, and hope. It is something or someone that provides a source of happiness. It appears 88 times in the Old Testament in 22 books; 57 times in the New Testament in 18 books. The Bible talks a lot about joy.
Job 1:21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Helen Adams Keller, who lived from June 27, 1880 to June 1, 1968, was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She…
Continue reading Nate’s Notes: The Lord Gives and Takes Away
Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind! Psalm 31:19 New International Version We are so blessed that the Lord’s goodness is not budgeted, earned, or limited. Yahweh’s abundant grace…
Ephesians 4:1-6 NIV As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one…